Best week ever because...

Our family has been greatly blessed this week with a miracle from heaven. We are pleased to present to all our family and friends Avery Marie Meier, daughter of Jon and Deidra Meier. She arrived on June 19. She is 20" long and weighs 7lbs. 14oz.

We were in the Kampong Thom province when we received news of her arrival. The evening we received the good news we had difficulty connecting to the Internet. When we did it was for a short period of time. When we logged on to our email Jon had left a message. We use our computer for calling internationally. We were able to call Jon and Deidra. After congratulating the new mom and dad it got silent for a moment and we were able to hear the little squeaks so characteristic of  healthy happy bundles of joy so new from Heaven.

We visited with PEF Students in Kampong Thom, Siem Reap and Battambang. We were gone from Tuesday morning until one o'clock Saturday afternoon. After speaking with Jon and Deidra we were not able   to reconnect the rest of the week. We were anxious to get home to see what Avery looked like. Of course that was the first thing we did when we arrived at our home in Phnom Penh. What a cute little munchkin!

HATS OFF TO THE BEST WEEK EVER!

This week has been very rewarding. We were able to meet with the Senior couples that do member leader support in the countryside. They are by themselves and need to find translators. Translators are usually a young adult and often one of our PEF students. The Senior couples have a great challenge when communicating with the members. Concepts, etc. often translate a bit off from what is intended to be taught or said. Senior couples in the Provinces are truly on their own. They have to travel a couple of  hours to buy canned goods, breakfast cereal, etc. As a result they shop the local markets hiring someone to assist them in purchasing safe foods at fair prices. Kampong Thom has the least shopping choices. Siem Reap has a Lucky Store. Battambang has no grocery stores. Some packaged items can be purchased at small little road side shops .Of the three Provinces mentioned  Battambang has the safest restaurant choices. The missionaries in the Provinces are exposed to more wild life than the city missionaries. One Elder in Battambang woke up to a snake coiled around his bedpost. But then our city Sister missionaries had an army of roaches storm into their house. Apparently it was pretty horrendous. Just like a Alfred Hitchcock movie. Today we had a gecko run into our apartment but fortunately he ran out as fast as he ran in. I was glad. Sister Yeates said they had a problem with geckos. They do eat bugs,but what goes in comes out in another form. Not a healthy situation.When speaking with the young missionaries many loved their transfers to the country. The countryside is very beautiful. It is unique and there is a lot of ancient history.  It is pretty cool. The Province Senior couples miss mingling with the other Senior couples but  all of them say they are grateful not to have to fight the Phnom Penh traffic. The lack of traffic was nice but,we were glad to get back to Phnom Penh  to sleep in our own hard bed and eat home cooked Campbell's Cream of Chicken soup. (We need to grocery shop).

On our trip to the Provinces we  didn't get out of the car to tour. We were able to take drive by photo shots.

People working in the rice paddies. They need to be careful not to get leeches on their feet and legs.

On the route to Kampong Thom the road is lined with plastic cricket traps. Lights inside the plastic mounted on the fence attract the crickets at night. The crickets fall into water placed in the plastic boxes and drown. In the morning the cricket farmer gathers the insects to sell at the market.

A guard stays near the traps at night so no one steals his catch.

Prepared Crickets for Sale

Anyone Hungry!

We did stop at the silk farm. It was free to tour and close to the main road. It was very interesting. Here are just a couple of the many photos we took at the farm.

This is about the second or third step in the silk making process. The silk worm spins a cocoon on these man made trays. Eventually the cocoon is cleaned and is pulled into thread. Everything at this farm is manual labor.

These workers sit in a hot room and work silently. There is no music. They do the same thing for hours. 

This is a very small part of Angkor Wat. A person needs to spend days here to see this amazing area of Cambodia. We were on a schedule and did not stop. The little bit we did see was incredible. No pictures can capture how large and detailed these structures are. Everything was built without machines.

This may be the only time we see elephants on our mission. They are a part of the tourist experience in the Angkor Wat area.

This past week was packed with things to see and do, and people to meet and missionary responsibilities. The above touristy things were fun and interesting but meeting with the people was the real reward of the week.

When we were visiting with  Elder and Sister Yeates we were able to go to an area where at dusk bats in a steady stream emerge from a cave. This flight lasts close to an hour.  In the early morning they return to the cave in the same manner. It is incredible to witness.

The most amazing part of our trip to the cave was a 13 year old boy  standing near by watching the bats. Elder and Sister Yeates have connections with Operation Smile. They were able to find out this young mans information. He allowed them to take his picture and the hope is that he will have a better life because he was at the cave that day. 

We also met with one of our PEF students who will graduate this November. Her husband built her a little shop off of their home. The location is not the best. It is in a low traffic area. We hope the word will travel about her shop and people will come.

Soucheata  Khuon's Shop

They have had some hard knocks lately. Their daughter has been sick and needs medicine every week. Soucheata just had surgery for a kidney stone.  Doctor bills have caused some harder times than usual for them.

This is not Soucheata's home but it is on her block.

 And you thought you were having a bad day.

Until next week Oink!Oink!